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Empty hands can still lead to tragedy

The punch, it’s alleged, was consensual — a mutually agreed-upon yet ultimately tragic attempt between two high school students at making amends.

The lone blow outside a Lake Roesiger cabin early Sunday morning ended one life and landed an 18-year-old classmate in the Snohomish County Jail for investigation of manslaughter.

Full story here. But if you don’t want to read it all, the gist is one kid hit another kid’s car. They had a bit of a confrontation about it, and in the end opted to settle their differences by letting one punch the other. By all accounts it was a consensual and mutually agreed upon resolution, even shaking hands and smoking a cigarette together. The one kid punched the other kid, who fell down, struck his head on the pavement, and never regained consciousness.

It seems evident no one meant harm here, just a way to settle a debt. Alas, it’s turned into a terrible situation, and I hope things will turn out as best as they can for all involved.

I present this story as yet another illustration that empty-hands can still be deadly.